Monday, August 15, 2011

Matters of the Heart

In a rare move, Mike and I decided to leave our waking time to forces outside the control of the alarm button, even though Bob did his level best to wake us up sub-6:30am, we received a 7:30 phone call, and 8:30 brought a series of texts.

Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, was going to motivate us to get out from under the covers.  

Even the boys, with their "early to bed, early to rise" bodies were quite happy to leave us alone.  Starting about 8am they just hung in the TV room and played with Legos and watched the Disney channel, probably figuring their lazy parents would eventually get up when they heard the garbage trucks.*

So, when we finally tired of trying to keep the day from attacking us (and, more importantly, Mike realized he had a meeting in 23 minutes), we turned on the TV to check the weather forecast.

This move warranted a Nancy Kerrigan "WHY????"  Because, to think there is something different in the weather, as say compared to three weeks ago, is just flat stupid.  But, day after day, I guess we wake with hope that snow is in the forecast.  Or, at least a good, heavy rain.**

After the weather, our local channel reverted back to Good Morning America, which I see about twice a year.  I'm not into TV, especially sub-7pm TV, so this was a rarity.

Now GMA was doing a special report on "Bachelor Pad", a Monday night show that features cast-offs who didn't win the love lottery the first time they were on "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette".  I was mildly intrigued because Vienna and Jake were on the screen together, for the first time, in my mind, since he yelled at her to shut-up on primetime TV.*** 

Then the scene switched to white-bikinid women with targets on their back.  Who were being bombarded by paint eggs.  And, it seemed, one particular woman was getting the brunt of this.

Apparently, she was the "ugly duckling".  The object of the game was for the men to throw their egg at the girl they found least attractive.

Now, let me add my two cents here:  there wasn't a body or a mane of hair or a set of breasts that I wouldn't have gladly claimed as my own.  These were all VERY beautiful girls.  The one wearing the most paint had a Julia Roberts look about her.

BARBARIC, ABC.  RIDICULOUS.  YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED.

The justification for this?  The men would have the same "ugly duckling" treatment later in the show.

Sorry, producers.  Doesn't have the same effect.  If you really wanted to equalize things?  Have the girls chunk eggs at the guy she thinks has the smallest member.  THAT would hit close to the same emotional impact as being labeled ugly on national TV.

All this got me thinking about a verse in 1 Samuel 16, when King David was called to his position.  Samuel made an assumption, based on the fact that Eliab, David's older brother, was (presumably) handsome and was tall, that he was the chosen one. 

But, the LORD, in verse 17 states "...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."**** 

This is a lesson we should be teaching ourselves daily and especially emphasizing with our children:  you can have the most beautiful, perfect body, face, and hair but if your heart is full of things that are contrary to the Lord, none of it matters.

I'm sure we all have met that physically perfect person who was extremely lonely on the inside or who couldn't seem to get past her lumpy thighs or didn't like the color or texture of her hair.  All while the rest of us were looking at her thinking "GEEZ.  If only I looked like THAT."

Teach your children, male or female, this verse from Samuel.  Remind yourself of it daily.  The temporal body, the good looks, fade with time.  But, the heart remains.  And, if that heart is full of bitterness and hate and lust, you are sure to look ugly to the Lord.

In case you haven't seen "The Help"*****, let me leave you with this tidbit "You is kind.  You is smart.  You is important."  While I'm sure the Lord would stamp that as A+ advice to all of us, in addition I'm confident he would add "But, most importantly, you have a wonderful heart."



*They were right.  But, only for one of us.  I'll let you bet on who THAT was.

**There's a consistency in the forecast that makes me believe I could become a weather girl.  It's not real hard to say "HOT" and "NO RAIN" and "HEAT ADVISORY". 

***I managed to catch that in its 1,000th rebroadcast because it was just so incredibly rude that it practically went viral and caused all of womanhood to scream "SEE!  This is why some women hate men!"

****WHEW!  Take heart, sweet girl on that ridiculously awful show!

*****Review coming, when I am able to discuss it/type about it without weeping.

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